A Confusing Game
by MichikoUzumaki'16
Summary: The school festival had just finished and everything's finally back to normal - or at least that's what they all thought until a new girl transfers to Ouran Fearing this girl might fall in love with Haruhi, Tamaki assigns Hikaru & Kaoru the task of making her fall for them but this proves to be tougher than they Can they pull it off? Or will they lose the game?
1. Prologue

"Only those with excellent social standing and those from filthy rich families are lucky enough to spend their time here at the elite private school Ouran Academy. The Ouran host Club is where the school's handsomest boys with too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands. Just think of it as Ouran Academy's elegant playground for the super rich and beautiful."

* * *

A few days after the school festival, everything seems to be back to the way they were. The host club is no longer disbanded and the music room is as busy as ever. All of our hosts are back to their usual activities – even Kyouya, who is back to slumping in a table in a corner, assessing the club's funds and such.

"Hey boss!" yelled the Hitachiin brothers at the same time as they ran up to Tamaki who just finished with a customer and was about to sip some of his tea. "Did you hear about the new girl transferring today?"

He looks at them, and pauses for a moment.

"Hmm... Oh yeah! Now I remember." He exclaims. " Father says she's a very important young girl who came from England. But he also mentioned her mom being at France most of the time."

"Oh is that so?" the twins ask in their synchronized manner.

"Hey, what're you guys talking about?" interrupts the adorable Honey, settled on Mori's back.

"There's gonna be a new girl joining Ouran Academy today." Tamaki explains with a soft expression. "My, my. I do hope this means we have a new friend for Haruhi."

He looks at the girl seated on the sofa who's currently busy attending to some customers. Her smile as she talks seems brighter than the rays of sunshine passing through the music room's large windows.

Just then, an evil smile came across both twins' faces.

"Gee boss," says Kaoru, resting his elbow on Temaki's right shoulder.

" What if this girl falls in love with our little Haruhi?" continues Hikaru, putting his elbow on the left.

Tamaki blinks once. Then twice…

"One.." says Honey, smiling with a shadowed expression.

"Two..." says Mori.

The twins walk up in front of him "...Three." they finally say with a smirk.

.

.

.

"YOU'RE RIGHT!" he exclaims. "We mustn't let this girl ruin any _more_ of sweet Haruhi's innocence." Determination now glimmering in his eyes, "I have a plan."

He slides between the brothers and puts his arms around their shoulders. "And you two are gonna help me."

* * *

**Hey hey! ^-^ So, author's note..? Well I guess sorry `coz this isn't gonna be yaoi. I am MADLY in love with them so I wanted to make a new character as their romantic interest. It's basically my way of expressing my anime fantasies coz FUDGE THEIR SO PERFECT I WANNA MARRY THEM. For those who ARE yaoi fans, don't worry. They still do their "forbidden brotherly love" thing. :) NO :) I'M :) NOT :) JEALOUS. :) Oh and I wanted to apologize for this short chapter. It's only like the intro `coz the next one's gonna have a characters's POV. And sorry for the long A/N. :(**


	2. The Eyes Are Windows To The Soul

Kaoru's POV

"Huh? How are we supposed to help...?" Hikaru and I ask in unison.

"Why by flirting with her, of course!" he replies, seeming quite sure of his answer.

"What, that's it? _That's _your plan?" says Hikaru, rather bored.

"No, don't just simply flirt with her... Make her actually _fall_ for you."

"Well why us, boss? Can't you do it yourself?" I ask, putting my arm around my brother.

He smirks, "What's the matter? Afraid it'd be too difficult?" he asks in a taunting voice.

"No," I reply. "It just seems like such a bother."

"Oh really?" he asks. "Or is it because you're afraid your brotherly Hitachiin charms won't work on her?... Just like how it doesn't work on poor, sweet Haruhi." His voice now seeming a bit too obvious.

"That's not true at all!" exclaims Hikaru, his arm out in objection. "In fact, we're gonna make the new girl fall for us in NO TIME!

_Idiot. _I sigh. _How could he fall for that?_

"Then I guess it's settled." The boss starts. He looks at Hikaru and me once more. "Hikaru, Kaoru.. Your mission is to make the new girl fall in love with you and of course, keep her from falling for Haruhi! Understood?!"

"Understood, boss!" Hikaru replies.

I sigh. "Understood boss..." -_-

***lunch time***

My stomach grumbles with Hikaru's as we made our way to the school's cafeteria.

Along the way, girls wave at us and say hi. We pull out our charms and say hi back and they scurry off blushing and shrieking in the most overheard tone.

We've gotten used to it by now. Back in middle school, we would've just rolled our eyes at them. But now, we're better at handling it. And it's all thanks to Tamaki-senpai. I guess this favor is the least we can do for him..

"We'll have the egg roll sandwich and some Chamomile tea, please." My brother and I say in unison to the person at the counter.

He then places our food on two separate trays. We take them, thank him and walk off to find a clear table.

Not too long after we left the counter,

"Kaoru-kun! Hikaru-kun!" someone calls out.

We turn around to look at who it was and saw two girls seated at a table not too far from us, waving. "Would you like to seat with us?"

We smile and nod at them then head for the two empty seats next to them.

_Afraid our brotherly Hitachiin charms won't work, huh? I don't think so._

So we sat there for a while, entertaining a little as we went, until we were done eating.

"Hey, I'm gonna go get some desert. May I get you girls anything?" I said as I stood up.

"None for me, thanks." Said one of them, blushing.

"I'm fine too." Said the other, giggling. "Just having the both of you sit with us is already too much to ask."

"Alright then. What about you, Hikaru?" I asked as I knelt beside him, staring at his full amber eyes. The very same eyes that I see whenever I look at the mirror.

"Oh Kaoru," he says, putting the palm of his hand on my cheek. "You're always so thoughtful. But don't worry about me... I just wish I could find myself someone... exactly _like_ you.."

Our faces draw closer. "Don't worry Hikaru, I won't leave you.."

Just then, girls all around us shriek and giggle like broken sirens. _Too easy, _I think as I try to hide a smirk.

I then stood up from my spot "Well then, excuse me ladies. I'll go get myself some desert."

"Awww..."

"Ahhh forbidden love.."

"I won't leave you either, Hikaru!"

"Kaoru, you're such a sweet brother!"

Those are what I heard them say as I left.

Haha, this is too easy indeed. Whoever this important new girl may be, she'll be no match for me and Hikaru. We've been doing this for quite some time now and we've gotten really good at it. I mean, me and my brother were just kidding about her falling in love with Haruhi. We weren't expecting the boss would make us do this. But it doesn't matter anymore. We were given this task and we're definitely _not _going to fail – I'm pretty sure Hikaru's thinking the same thing right now. We've got to do whatever it takes... for the boss' sake.

.

.

.

.

.

"Uhmm..." a voice snaps me back from my thoughts.

"Huh..?"

I slowly look up and find that I've already found my way to the desert section. _That's weird, I didn't even realize._ I already had my arm out, reaching for a slice of chocolate cheesecake. That's when I realized...

"A-Are you... Uhm, did you.. want this?" she softly asks, her arm reaching out for something.

I traced my gaze to where her hand was. _That's when I realized she was trying to reach for the same slice of cake as I was. _I looked at her for a moment , thenher hand - it was right below my hand. The back of hers touching the palm of mine.

Upon realizing that, I withdrew my hand. "It's fine, you can have it."

I turned and was about to walk away when she spoke again. "Hey, thanks."

I looked back at her "It's no big deal."

But at that time, from where I stood, I started to see her face more clearly. She pushed her black hair up to her left ear and I could see how beautiful her hazel eyes were as they reflected the sun's light.

"You're quite attractive, you know that?" I stated with a slight smirk.

But then, her expression seemed to have changed. I couldn't really explain it but her timid eyes now seemed kinda different from before.

"Well thank you. I'm Masami by the way. " she said with a smile as she held her hand out and tilted her head a little. "And you are...?"

"I-I'm Kaoru... Kaoru Hitachiin." I replied as I shook her hand.

And then, the thought hit me.

"Are you by any chance.. _new_ here...?"

With her hand still in mine, she answered "Yeah, I am."

When we finally let go, her dark hazel eyes stared into my soul for a brief moment.

"I do hope we'll see each other more often." she said with another head-tilt smile.

I was still looking at her, trying to process how she suddenly gives off such a different aura than she was just a few seconds ago.

I let out a sigh. "I have a feeling we're gonna see each other _pretty_ often."

* * *

**Hey! :D So I feel like I hadn't quite done my best on this one. :( And I'm terribly sorry but I really wanted to publish the first actual chapter (**_**though I guess this counts as chapter 2?) **_**as soon as possible. Anyway, I'm gonna try to update every week though I may have trouble considering school is just starting on Monday for me. Anyway, what do you think? All opinions and reviews will be very much appreciated and I'm new to this whole fanfiction business so your thoughts, whether positive or negative, will be very helpful! ^-^**


	3. She's Coming

**Hikaru's POV**

"She's coming, she's coming!" yells Honey-senpai. "The new princess is coming!"

We all look at him, who was running back and forth across the room.

"Calm down, Mitsukuni." Mori-senpai says calmly.

"But Takashi, the new princess is coming!"

Mori-senpai raises an eyebrow at him. "Why are you so worried about that?"

"Don't you remember? Tamaki said we have to make sure she stays away from Haru-chan."

"I think he was just talking to the twins.."

"No Takashi! I want to be useful too."

Mori-senpai then knelt down and patted him on the head.

"Don't worry Mitsukuni. Just do your best in the host club, that's all you need to do to be useful."

"Really, Takashi?" asks Honey-senpai looking up at Mori-senpai with eyes glimmering like a child who just got a new toy.

"Of course."

"Alright then! I'll do my best!"

Girls started squealing. They gathered around the two as if moths drawn to a flame.

"Aw Honey, you're so adorable!"

"But Honey-senpai, you _are _useful!"

"Mori-senpai, that's so nice of you! You really are like an older brother to him."

"Awwww!"

So there they were, cooing over the two seniors and Honey-senpai seemed to have forgotten about the new girl coming in. Even I almost forgot about the task the boss just gave us earlier.

That was until…

"Hello everyone."

_Hmm?_

I turn around to find the boss standing beside a girl whose eyes were crafted with a beautiful shade of hazel and long black hair adorning her head. Her bangs covered part of the right side of her face, which was kind of a shame, really.

Tamaki clears his throat. "Everyone, this is Ms. Masami Yuka. She'll be joining us here in Ouran Academy from now on." He smiles.

Everyone looks at her. I can tell she's really uncomfortable with that as she holds the boss by his shoulder and steps partially behind him. All the girls stare at her seemingly unamused, their insecurity plastered across their faces.

"It's alright, princess." Tamaki assures her. "Come on, I'll take you to meet some of our members."

She nods, a slight smile visible on her lips. _So this is the girl, huh?_ The boss then leads her to where Kaoru and I are standing. _Big surprise._

I place my arm in front of my stomach and bow as Kaoru does the same thing. "Nice to meet you, princess Yuka." We both say at the same time.

"I'm not a princess, silly!" she giggles. "And I'm fine with being called Masami."

"Oh but here in the host club, we observe proper manners." Says the boss as he grabs her hand. "And besides, every girl is treated like a princess here." he lightly places a kiss on the back of her hand.

"Is that so..?" she smiles.

Her eyes scan the room. "Wow, this club seems really nice."

Kyouya steps in. "You can come in anytime you want and request a host. Of course, you can also do it on the school's website."

"Oh that's simply lovely, thank you."

"So, princess, may we have the pleasure of being your first hosts?" I ask as I give her my most innocent smile.

I watch her carefully. She seems kinda confused.

"Oh dear, how terribly rude of us. We haven't introduced ourselves yet, have we? I'm Kaoru Hitachiin."

"…I'm Hikaru."

"And we're… the Hitachiin Brothers!" we say, holding our hands out.

She doesn't say anything. She looks at Kaoru, puzzled.

She tilts her head a bit, "I thought _you _were Kaoru?" she points at my brother.

My eyes widen, my mouth falls slightly agape. I couldn't say anything. _How did she..?_

"We met at lunch… At least I _think _you were the one I met."

Neither I nor Kaoru, who was looking down, say a word. I look at him, waiting for an answer.

"Well... umm, were… you..?"

A few seconds of silence that seemed so long fell upon us. Kaoru kept his head down as Masami and I just stood there.

"That's right." Kaoru finally replies.

Thoughts were rambling in my head right then. _When did they meet? And why didn't Kaoru tell me?_

"Oh thank goodness." She let out a sigh. "I would've been so embarassed if I forgot how you look like right after we met."

"My, someone who can tell Kaoru from Hikaru? That's certainly amazing!" Tamaki interrupts.

"Really? You mean, no one else can tell?"

"Well, certainly not no one. I've managed to tell them apart before." He says, smiling.

"That was simply a lucky guess and you know it." Now Kyouya butted in.

The boss laughs, "Yeah, you're right… But so far, the only people who have managed to tell them apart just by looking are you and… Well, Haruhi."

"...Haruhi?"

"Yes, Haruhi Fujioka. He's another host club member. But he's a special case." Explains Kyouya.

"Oh, what do you mean?"

"Unlike the rest of the students here at Ouran Academy, Fujioka got in through a scholarship. He's not very wealthy, you see…... He's, well… A _commoner_, you might say."

"Are you guys talking about me again?"

Everyone turns their head to the door.

"HARUHI!" the boss exclaims as he runs over to her.

"Haruhi…" my brother and I mumble together.

"Where have you been, Haruhi?!" Tamaki asks furiously. "Daddy was terribly worried you decided to skip out on us."

"As you can see, that's Haru-chan!" Honey says as Mori steps in carrying him on his back.

"Well, this isn't exactly free period so as soon as I finished lunch, I went to turn in all my extra homework. Plus I headed to the library to find a book for history so…"

"YOU SHOULD'VE AT LEAST TOLD ME! THAT'S IT, NEXT TIME I'M SITTING WITH YOU AT LUNCH, GOT IT?!"

Honey covers his mouth trying to hide his laughter but it was still very audible.

"What are you talking about, senpai? Haruhi asks, one of her eyebrows twitching."

She tries to push Tamaki away but the boss ended up holding her tighter even more.

"…So that's Haruhi Fujioka." Says Masami.

I look at her. She has a smile on her face as she watched the boss and Haruhi. Then suddenly, her focus was on something totally different. It's hard to tell what it is but it's as if she just thought of something.

She turns to Kyouya. "Excuse me but… What should I call you..?"

"Ootori would be fine, thank you."

_Who the heck calls him Ootori?_

"Alright. Ootori-senpai, I'd like to request a host."

"Very well. And which one would you like?"

"I'd like to request… Haruhi Fujioka, please."

* * *

**Omg omg omg it's been like more than a month since the last update and I'm terribly sorry for that! :( School just started a month ago and I've been super busy and I hate school ugghhh. I was supposed to update last week but I couldn't finish because we still get homework on the weekends TT_TT Anyway, hope you like the chapter! I'll try my best to update soon. :) I apologize because chapter 2 had a lot of errors because I rushed it LOL and you probably think I'd learn from my mistake, huh? WRONG! I didn't EXACTLY rush this (as you can tell from the time it took since the last update) but I really really wanted to post as soon as I can and I didn't reread it that much because I think I've made all the changes I wanted and needed but idk I make mistakes okay? :3 Tell me what you think! PLEASE.**


	4. The Princess and the Commoner

"So, umm…. What brings you to Japan, Miss Masami?" Haruhi asks as she sets the teapot down on the table.

Masami, who had her teacup in one hand and the saucer in the other, looks at her as if she was surprised to hear such a question. She places the cup back on the saucer and elegantly puts it back on the table.

"Oh, let's see… Mom said this would be a great opportunity to learn about the culture from where my late dad came from." She explains. "But I know it's also because she's planning to expand her business here in Japan."

"Oh… Well I'm sorry to hear about your father, Miss Masami." Haruhi looks down at her reflection inside the teacup settled between her hands and thinks of her own late parent. "Forgive me for prying."

"No, no. It's fine, really." She smiles reassuringly. "And I prefer to be called by just Masami."

"Are you sure… Masami?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

The two of them talked for some time and would laugh every once in a while as Tamaki, Kaoru, and Hikaru watched them from a sofa situated on the other side of the room.

"Hikaru, Kaoru! Why did you let this happen?!" Tamaki whispers quite furiously. "You were supposed to make sure she doesn't get near Haruhi!"

"Aren't you over-exaggerating a little bit, boss?" Kaoru asks.

"Yeah… I mean, you only told us to make her fall for us. You didn't exactly tell us to make sure she stays away from Haruhi… No matter what Honey-senpai says."

At that moment, Honey was eating cake in the very same room with Mori and two customers.

"Owww!" Honey cries out.

The three of them look at him worriedly, especially Mori who was undoubtedly concerned, yet still maintaining his composure. "What's wrong, Mitsukuni?"

"I bit my tongue, Takashi." He tells him, looking like he's trying to fight back his tears.

"Here," He carefully slides him his glass. "Drink some cold water."

Honey grabs it from the table with both hands. "Thanks Takashi."

The two girls watch them with concentration. "I know I shouldn't say this at a time like this but…. They're just so adorable!" one whispers as the other nods.

"By the way, Haruhi-kun," Masami says and Haruhi looks at her. "You _are _aware that those three gentlemen are observing us, right?"

Haruhi and Masami turn their heads to the sofa a few meters behind them. Tamaki and the brothers duck, attempting to hide the fact that they're spying on the two girls.

_They're so pathetic_, Haruhi thinks.

"I am. And I apologize for that. They can be kinda….. _weird _sometimes."

Masami doesn't say a word. She just lets out a small laugh.

oOo

The clock tower bell gives off a heavy sound that echoes throughout the school grounds. It also indicates that the school day is now over and all students of Ouran Academy are free to go home. At about this time of day, the sun is finally on the verge of twilight and the sky is just about ready to change into a vibrant mixture of orange, purple and pink, signaling that evening is almost ready to take its place.

Masami mumbles something as she makes her way to the front of the school when she walks past the brothers who felt like time had gone slower than it usually did as the setting light that shone through the large, glass windows framed herself perfectly. The whole world seemed to have fallen in utter silence at the moment. Yes. But that split-moment had already gone.

"Masami!" they both exclaim.

She was already a few feet away then. She stops in the middle of the hallway and slowly turns around. She sees them and smiles "Kaoru-kun, Hikaru-kun, what's up?"

With their hands in their pockets, they walk up to her.

"…We were just wondering if we can give you a ride home, that's all." Says Hikaru with a smile.

Her eyes blink twice and then she looks at Kaoru, who's looking away, then back at Hikaru. "Thank you. I really appreciate the offer but my ride's already here."

"Oh, that's a shame. We were really hoping to get to know you better in the car." Hikaru gently nudges Kaoru with his elbow.

"Oh, uhh yeah… W-We didn't really get that chance in the host club earlier." Kaoru says, he turns to Masami for a second then glances back to the side.

"Yeah.. you're right. We should really change that. Maybe some time." She says with a smile.

Kaoru focuses his eyes back on Masami. Both of them seemed kinda surprised by her response as they stood there without saying anything for a while.

"…Yeah, we should." Kaoru tells her.

"Alright then. Well, I should really be heading home. See you guys tomorrow."

"Oh… Oh yeah, of course." Mumbles Hikaru.

"See you tomorrow." Said both twins at the same time. They then watched her stride off as she waves back at them until she disappeared through the large French doors.

"Kaoru, why have you been acting weird lately?"

"…What do you mean?"

Hikaru lowers his head, his hair falling over his eyes. "First you didn't tell me you met Masami at lunch, and now you're being cold with her… What's going on, Kaoru?"

"_Nothing _is going on, Hikaru. And I'm not being cold with her." Kaoru keeps his gaze away from his brother.

"Kaoru, we won't be able to accomplish this task that Tamaki entrusted us with if you keep acting like that towards her. We've gone past that phase! Remember? And besides… I know you better than anyone, Kaoru. I know something's going on. What is it?"

Kaoru sighs. "I just… have a weird feeling about her, okay?"

Hikaru looks at him, "What do you mean…?"

"I-I don't know… It's just a feeling, that's all."

Meanwhile, Masami meets her butler, Travis, beside the limo waiting for her just outside the school grounds.

"So how was your first day at school, mistress?" he opens the door to the vehicle and helps her in.

"It was okay, actually. I met a bunch of really interesting people."

"And that's good news, I suppose?"

She laughs as she buckles her seatbelt "Of course!"

"That's wonderful, mistress." He smiles. "Now, we must really be heading back to the mansion. I believe Lady Sarah has told you about the little gathering she's having tonight?"

The spark of excitement instantly vanishes from the hazel in her eyes. "Oh, yeah.. She has."

The elderly man watches her, recognizing the same kind of sadness she had, from time to time, been showing throughout these past 6 years.

"Alright, mistress." Was all he can say.

He then closers her door but before heading back to the driver's seat, he pauses. He looks at the grove of trees protesting with the wind from across the street. _I could've sworn I saw something there_, he thinks. He continues toward his seat, gets in and starts the limo. As he drove back to the mansion, he tries shaking the thought off but something about it made him feel like he absolutely shouldn't.

Soon after, they finally stop. Travis gets down and opens Masami's door. The two of them then walked up to the front door and again, he opens it for her.

"Thank you, Travis." She says with a smile.

She walks in and is immediately greeted by two rows of maids and butlers "Welcome home, mistress."

_Home… This place brings back memories but I wouldn't dare call it home._

One of the maids steps up "Mistress, Lady Sarah has requested us to tell you that you should go right away to the dressing room when you arrive."

"I understand." She replies conservatively.

One of the butlers takes her bag and two other maids walk with her to the dressing room door. She opens the door herself and the two maids follow behind her, making sure the door is shut.

Inside, dozens of different kinds of beautiful dresses were displayed, each having their own mannequin. Long, sparkling low-cut gowns, light-colored and frilly sundresses, string-necked maxis, it was possibly like how every commoner girl imagined it would be like. Well… most of them at least.

"Lady Masami," one of the maids says holding up a dress well-wrapped in a protective cover. "This is Lady Sarah's latest work."

She looks at her then the dress. Her earlier let's-just-get-this-over-with face became much softer, a little more willing to go along with yet another one of her mother's shenanigans. She runs her hand on the cover, finding herself admiring another one of her mom's work.

She walks over to one of the changing rooms and the two maids follow after like her shadow would on a hot summer day. She gets inside and carefully changes into the dress. The two maids help her as gently as they could, afraid of ruining it in any way. When they were finally done, one of them held a powder puff up to her.

Masami steps back a little, "I really don't-"

"Lady Sarah's orders..." She says rather apologetically.

She was about to say something but halts herself, thinking she wouldn't win if she started an argument. She sighs, "Alright, just do it."

After they were all ready, she steps out of the dressing room and walks down the stairs with her most perfect poise. She finds her mom right below the staircase talking on her phone. She looks at young Masami with a subtly proud smile. Not proud of the dress, but proud of her daughter.

"I'll be expecting those fabrics at noon tomorrow…. Alright, bye." She hangs up and gives the phone to one of the butlers.

She then directs her attention on Masami and the strapless, mint cream, high-low dress, showing a layer of white underneath, that was adorning her small frame and lets a breath of relief out.

"Honey, you look so beautiful…" she says with a sad smile.

"Mom, _this dress _is beautiful." Masami responds truthfully, but with a blank reflection.

Sarah comes closer and envelops her daughter in a short hug. When she let go, she held her daughter's hand then looked at her, "Come on, Masami. Our guests are waiting."

_You mean your guests…_

They walk over to the smaller ballroom together and stop at the door. When Masami realizes she was still holding her mother's hand, she hastily lets go and tries to keep a straight face before the doors were opened by their butlers. Inside were a bunch of men and women in coats and business formal dresses and lots of young gentlemen, about Masami's age – more or less.

The scattered groups of people all look at them

"Ah, there she is!" said one of the men, raising his glass of wine.

"Welcome back, Sarah!" said a woman wearing a pencil-skirt type dress in a distasteful shade of red with a gray blazer over it.

Masami and her mom walk up to the crowd and Sarah flashes a beautiful smile. "Oh my gosh, it's been too long! Everyone, thank you all for coming... By the way this is my daughter, Masami."

They greet her with excited smiles, "So this is Masami... We've heard so much about you." one of the men says.

Masami's face is first blank, not sure if what she heard was right. She immediately turns red soon after, wondering what things her mom has been telling them, when Travis walks up to Sarah and whispers something to her. She smiles and thanks him before turning back to the guests.

"Alright everyone! Dinner is ready and I'd like to request all of us to sit at the table my wonderful helpers had prepared for us." She gestures at at a long, elegant, white table found at the far right of the room defined by well-crafted separators etched with fine red wood and marble.

All of the guests head for the table but not before quite few of the young gentlemen, who came with, wink at Masami as they pass her by. One had even approached her and made a polite bow before placing a kiss on the back of her hand saying "You look very lovely, miss. Perhaps I could have a dance with you after dinner?"

Masami looks at the young man, surprised, but does not say a word. He must've been a year or two younger, she thought. And on that very moment, she notices two familiar faces walking behind the young lad in front of her - spiky, auburn hair decorated the top of their heads and a beautiful hue of amber piercing through the gentleman and right into her own gaze. Then, they change their expression. They glance at her, rather unconcerned by what they witnessed - as if they never knew her.

The gentleman watched her then cocked his head to the side, trying to figure out what she's so focused on. Masami lets go of the boy's hold. "Perhaps another time." she smiles apologetically then walks away.

Sarah is seated at the very end and middle of the table. She had been watching the whole time - she observed her daughter carefully. She sighs, but now she has an assured look on her face.

Masami sits at her mother's right side without noticing that the Hitachiin brothers are seated somewhat across her. The butlers then come in, placing trays and trays of lovely, mouth-watering food. Roasted turkey, buttered shrimp, three large bowls of salad, curry noodles, grilled steak and so much more while the maids poured everyone a drink of their choice. Then finally, everyone digs in.

"Sarah, this food is so well-prepared! It's almost too beautiful to eat." says one of the women.

"You're so evil Sarah! You knew this would ruin my diet." teases another.

Sarah lets out a loud laugh, "That was the plan!"

They all burst out in a fit of laughter, even Yuzuha Hitachiin, who is sitting at Sarah's left side.

"I think this is what I missed most about you, Sarah!" she tells her, still laughing.

She then looks at her with a generous smile, "Aw, Yuzuha... I missed you too! You don't know how hard it's been the past couple of years."

"Yeah, because topping 120,000,000 yen in sales within a year really makes _me_ sad, you know?" She says.

"Yuzuha, it's not like that! It's just been so tough juggling everything... You know that! Plus, you know my daughter, Aika, right?"

Most of the people outside the conversation were already too busy focusing on their food at the time, and so was Masami - but not after that last part.

"Yeah, I know her."

"Well she just recently competed in an event. I made all her clothes for that and we both worked really hard for it. We've been going through walking rehearsals, dress rehearsals... I've even helped her get ready for the 'question & answer' part of the contest."

"Oh... Well how did she do though?"

Sarah smiles big, "She did _amazing - s_he won 1st place! I couldn't be any more proud."

"Wow Sarah," interrupts a lady who is a few seats away. "This Aika sounds really impressive. Where is she?"

"Oh, she wanted to stay back at England to finish college. And get this, she absolutely _refused_ to stay at our mansion over there. She's a really independent young lady - she wanted to get her own flat with the money she earns from her modeling jobs."

"Wow, that's quite amazing!" the lady exclaims.

"I know, I'm so proud of her." Sarah looks at her plate but her mind was completely on her first-born, Aika Yuka.

Masami immediately raises herself from her chair. "May I please be excused?" she declares the fact that she was leaving the table, rather than actually asking for permission. Without waiting for a response from her mom, she gets out of her spot and walks away, not even glancing at Sarah. She passes by Travis, whom it only took a raise of an eyebrow to get a complete answer from the girl. She shook her head, and he already knew she didn't want to be followed. Then, she walks up to the ballroom doors and two butlers open them for her and aimlessly starts down the hallway.

Travis stands beside Sarah and she looks at him placing her hand on her lips. "Oh my, I did it again, didn't I?"

* * *

**Question: DO YOU LIKE LONG OR SHORT CHAPTERS? PM your answer! (:  
**

**Hellooo :3 OMG like I seriously fangirl eveytime I get a review, follower, or a favorite :)) Thank you SO MUCH you guys make my week :) By the way, this one and the next one was supposed to be one whole chapter but idk it felt weird and I kinda thought it'd be too long while I was writing it. (Oh yeah guess who had a FEELS ATTACK today in gym when she realized her friend kinda sounds like English-dubbed Haruhi?! THEN FOUND OUT SHE WATCHES OHSHC TOO) And lastly, Masami does NOT have a British accent. She's actually born in America but sometimes she talks British well bc she's lived there for some time and WOOP no more spoilers. XD If there are any errors, let me know (: I'll give you credit ofcourse ^.^ TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.  
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